Thor (to Loki): Dear brother, you're becoming predictable. I trust you, you betray me. Round and round in circles we go. See, Loki, life is about... It's about growth. It's about change. But you seem to just wanna stay the same. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you'll always be the God of Mischief, but you could be more.
Thor, The God of Thunder ⚡
.............
Equipment
Gatekeeper's Necklace (A)
Minotaur's Cape (A)
Red Knight's Helmet (S)
High-level Knight's Breastplate (B)
High-level Knight's Gauntlet (B)
High-level Mage's Ring (B)
Mid-level Assassin's Shoes (C)
"....."
"Huh…"
I stuck my tongue out at the never-ending status screen.
"It feels like just a few days ago this was almost empty."
It was true. However, now the skills and equipment alone have greatly increased. Above all else, what caught my attention was my new class and the option to obtain Subclasses.
Just yesterday, this spot was labeled as "none." To be honest, every time I opened my status screen, that "none" bothered me a lot. A Hunter who didn't Raid was essentially an unemployed bum. At least, that's how society viewed them. So when I looked at my status screen before and saw that I had no class (job), it struck a chord in my mind. Now, I couldn't hide my joy in seeing the newly filled part of my status screen.
With a new status.
"Is this what they call an inferiority complex?"
Of course, I knew I would get one.
And now, I have obtained a job, or rather, something special. I had acquired a unique title called the "Monarch of Shadows."
If anything, I was satisfied. If I wasn't in my room, I would have summoned Shadows before me. I really wanted to test their capabilities in battle. Could they bring out 100% of their former powers? What does the prime of their power mean? And I already have so many experiments in mind.
"Probably not."
But even imagining it made my heart race.
Ba dum, ba dum.
I stood still and felt my heartbeat. In my head, I ran simulations of so many experiments, both positive and negative. Additionally, I looked forward to Yoo Jinho's reaction.
Imagining the young man's wide open eyes and mouth, I laughed despite myself.
Even still…
The power I have obtained would be beyond imagination. The light racing of my heart turned into a full sprint.
Ba dum, ba dum, ba dum!
But I shook my head.
Alright. Someone is waiting for me.
For now, I would be satisfied with the army at hand.
"I have obtained many boss-level soldiers too."
The Shadow Soldier, who is at level S++, how powerful is he?
I anticipated my next Raid while staring at the screen in happiness. Jinwoo noticed something else.
Title: Little Mage, Wolf Slayer, Genius, Elementalist, Remorseless, Killer, Survivor, Lord of Mana, Lord of Death, Freak of Nature, Soul Devourer, The one who Died, One Who Has Triumphed Over Adversity, The one who saw Death, God of Death
"So many?"
I checked the hidden titles.
[The one who Died
Death tends to avoid you,
Grants 100% immunity to instant death skills.
It's a title given to the one who has experienced death.]
[One Who Has Triumphed Over Adversity
For every 1% HP lost, all stats increase by 1%.
It's a title given to the one who has courageously endured against adversity.]
[The one who saw Death
Survive one-hit KO moves with 1% HP left.
Three times a day.
It's a title given to the one who has experienced death multiple times yet is able to escape its clutches.]
[God of Death
Grants 25% boost to any skill related to death.
Grants 35% boost to any instant death skills.
Grants 10% boost to any undead who serve the God of Death.
Given to those who had a deep connection with death and know how to embrace it.]
"I love it."
They were amazing buffs that would increase all of my attributes as I lost HP/life. Full immunity to instant death meant a significant advantage. Surviving one-hit KO moves meant that even if a meteor crashed into me, I would still live to see another day. Or even a planet collision.
But, of course, their comparison to such things, like a meteor crashing into a whole, counted as a single attack, and all the heat and shockwaves would be entirely different things.
The same could be said for planet collisions. Now, figuring out this is easy, but what I want to know is truly complicated things. Like, would it work with Hakai, a thing that destroys almost anything with little effort, and it's a single attack? And what about attacks that solely apply to souls?
And on a technical note, if both attacks are instant kills, would "The one who Died" still work and make me immune to it?
'Next, stats.'
There were five rewards I had received after reaching a high amount of advancement points.
The first was the advancement to a higher class.
The second was the subclass unlock.
And the third were the new titles.
The fourth was bonus stats.
The fifth was the mystery box.
I do have a lot of stat points, but I can invest them when I am free.
I closed the status screen. I had sufficiently absorbed all of the new information.
'Oh shit, the time.'
I had spent 10 minutes going through everything. I scratched my head.
'Time to head out, I guess.'
I smirked. The power of the attributes did not shine just in fighting magic beasts. When I focused, time slowed down. More accurately, I had sped up. I opened the door and went outside of my room.
So with those thoughts, I walked out of my room and saw Yoo Jinhoo.
Yoo Jinhoo, even though he looks very patient, his body language says otherwise as he continually rubs his fingers, tapping his foot on the floor, producing annoying clicking sounds.
As he heard the sound of the door opening and saw me, a brilliant smile bloomed on his face.
"Hi, sorry you had to wait so long. It's just that I was very exhausted and slept pretty late last night."
"Ah, you don't have to say such things, Hyungnim. Remember, I already knew that I was the one who called in the middle of the night."
"Well, if you say so. Anyway, I am going to prepare coffee. Do you want it?"
I asked him while walking toward the kitchen. After I asked him, he gave me some weird looks. So I asked him, "What's up with those looks?"
"I get it. You think I don't make good coffee," I asked him again, personally offended by his looks. As I sustained my late-night work on my sweat caffeine-filled coffees that I made myself. I even did a part-time job at Starbucks. So his looks truly offended me...
"No, no, it isn't like that, Hyungnim. I'm just shocked to know you can cook and bake," he answered me in a rush.
"Now I am even more offended by your baseless analysis of me. Do you think I am only brawn with no brain or some bloody murderer who only knows how to kill?" I asked him while turning on the coffee machine. It's an old model, so it takes more time.
"No, no, of course not, Hyungnim. In fact, it's the opposite. I think you are extremely intelligent, and I am aware that only smart people could use magic and know how many different types of magic you use. I think you could be the smartest person on this planet," he answered in a rush while wiping the sweat from his head, even though the AC was on. His breathing was faster, and he was very nervous.
"Hey, calm down. I'm just pulling your leg. You don't have to be so restless, and I am far from what you would call the smartest person. Anyway, what do you need?" I asked him while pouring myself a cup of coffee.
"Yes, if you don't mind, Hyungnim."
"Milk or without milk?" I asked again.
"Same as you."
"Good choice."
"Ah, thank you."
After pouring him a cup of coffee, I strode towards him. After handing it over, I sat down on the couch and saw him staring at me for quite a long time.
"Do I have something on my face?"
"..."
"No, no," he said while taking a sip of coffee as his eyes lit up. "It's great, Hyungnim. You make it like a professional."
"I appreciate your compliment. After all, I worked a lot on my technique for this. But you've been staring at me ever since I came out of my room. Why, may I ask? You are aware that I am only interested in women, right?"
"..."
"..."
As we both stared at each other, looking at his face, I wasn't able to complete my sentence as a chuckle escaped from my mouth.
"Of course not, and I also only have interest in girls. It's just that you seem to have grown a few inches taller, and even your frame seems to have expanded more than the last time I saw you," he explained when he saw me chuckle, knowing I was just joking.
"I see. You have great observation skills. I think the same, and don't worry, it's not from some drug or infection; it's natural."
"That's good to hear. I heard many growth drugs don't last for long, as even the strength position only gives a small portion of your total strength but drains away all your strength for many hours. And because of a sudden boost and brain overwork, you can get internal bleeding."
"I am aware of that, but did they all leave because I might be late?" I asked him.
"No and yes. You see, when I saw that you could be late, the manager left. But he did leave the work here and waited for you for the next hour. But when you still didn't wake up, I sent them to the nearest parking place, "as those big vehicles were causing traffic."
"I see, it's no problem. I was the one who slept like a log," I answered him while taking a sip of coffee.
"But if you want, I can call them here," Yoo Jinhoo asked with bright eyes.
"No need to call them," I said as I got up and placed the cup in the sink. I then walked back to the couch and said, "We can just go together. Have you come by car?"
"Yes, I do."
"Great, I also have some work. Can you give me a lift?"
"Of course, you don't have to ask," he told me while also drinking his coffee. "Great, then we'll talk about business in the car. You wait here. I'll be back in 10 minutes. You don't mind, right?"
"Of course not. I've already waited for so long. 10 minutes more is no big deal."
So with his words, I nodded and directly entered my bathroom. After quickly cleaning myself, I took out new clothes from the inventory. After wearing them, they felt even tighter. It felt like the clothes would tear off if I made too much movement.
As I looked in the mirror and saw my hair growth speed up and my muscles were trying to rip through the clothes.
The clothes were too tight, which I didn't like, but to buy clothes, you must first wear them.
Shower. Dry. Put on clothes.
It took him 3 minutes.
I could've done it faster, but I felt like the worn-down apartment would not be able to withstand my full speed.
'My hair's still wet.'
Still, I had basically saved about 20 minutes, so there was no need to hurry. I was about to leave when I realized I was in a hurry and left something.
My keys.
The keys were on top of the desk. On any other day, I would've walked over in annoyance to grab them. Today, I stretched a hand towards them.
'Where else would I use this?'
Ruler's Hands!
The key slowly slid across the table, then shot into my hand as if pulled by a powerful magnet. I grabbed the key and smiled. Having finished all preparations in a flash, Yoo Jinhoo and I left my house while whistling.
The first place we had to visit was the parking lot. I was right on budget, so I had to sell all the stuff I was holding.
"Hyungnim, what took you so long? Is there some kind of time dungeon where you can only get out after a specific amount of time has passed?"
"Mmm, I suppose it's like that, or it's just that I got so into the thing I was doing that I didn't even realize nine days had passed."
"Then it must be something amazing," he asked with bright eyes, as if wanting to know the details.
"It was more than just amazing. In fact, the word 'amazing' doesn't even come close to describing the experience and rewards, especially the rewards," I told him.
"Rewards?"
"Yes, rewards. But let's talk later. We're here now," I told him, to which he just nodded. After parking the car, we both got out. Yoo Jinhoo went to the corner to talk to some guys.
When they were done talking and Yoo Jinhoo instructed them on what to do, he walked out of their group towards me.
"As you can see, Hyungnim," he said, "I came with more than ten of these trucks. The manager wanted to meet the person who was the reason for the sudden production and the reason he got promoted. But, bad luck for him." He looked at me, and it seems his father is very happy with the sudden increase in production, so he promoted many people, including the manager. "Anyway, what is it that you wanted to show me? I'm really curious about this new thing."
At his words, I took out a helmet from one of the knights I killed. As I handed it to him, he started inspecting it with intense eyes.
While he was looking at the black metal, I used my full speed and started emptying my inventory, throwing all the broken, badly damaged, or even intact pieces of armor. I filled up the huge vehicles, and even then, I still had much more in my inventory.
After doing that, I returned to my original position standing beside Yoo Jinhoo. On the other hand, the drivers and workers who came with them were shocked to see how the trucks were filled in just seconds. They didn't see me move; all they heard were delayed metal sounds.
"Don't get me wrong, Hyungnim, but I don't see anything social or valuable about this black piece of metal. It could just be iron or steel," he asked me, unaware of what I had seen.
"I knew you would say something like that. Why don't you try bending it? After all, you're a D-rank, so you should easily be able to bend iron or steel or at least leave marks on tungsten."
Hearing me, he tried to do it. With all his strength, he tried to bend the metal, but no matter how hard he tried, it didn't budge. He was gritting his teeth, using all his might, but the metal remained unyielding.
Huff, Huff, Huff...
After trying a bit more, he gave up. His heavy breathing indicated that he had given his all, and even more.
Once his breathing stabilized, he looked at me and said, "What the heck is this? How can it be so thin and lightweight yet so strong?"
....
So I see people got problems with long stat suggest me some good alternative.
Aside from that, I got a comment from one the daily readers, he said I should add Artémis (Fate Grand Order) into Harem.
I don't know man most of her stories in fate is always about her love with Orion.
So you say...